Think sparkling for New Year's

Dec. 25, 2012

Hoppin’ John

21/2 cups black-eyed peas4 tablespoons butter or peanut oil2 each ham hocks2 each onion, diced8 cups water1 teaspoon black pepper1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper1 tablespoon garlic2 each bay leafsalt and pepper, to tasteSoak the peas overnight in enough water to cover by half, then drain, rinse and proceed. Brown the ham hocks over medium heat in the butter or oil in a large stock pot. Once browned on each side, add the onions and sauté until tender (5 to 8 minutes). Add all the remaining ingredients and increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook 60 to 90 minutes or until peas are tender. Taste to adjust salt and pepper, then serve over buttered white rice. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

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And there’s a hand my trusty fiere,

And gie’s a hand o thine,

And we’ll tak a right guid-willie waught,

For auld lang syne

There are many more verses to the classic New Year’s Eve song than the two we try to mumble through at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1. The song, written by Scotland’s poet-hero Robert Burns, is perfect for weeping in your wine glass, or in his case, more likely whiskey, but America likes the tradition of the sparkly stuff to ring in the New Year, so that’s what we’ll have for our guid willie waught (“goodwill drink”) with a trusty fiere (“trusted friend”) for auld lang syne (“for times gone by”).

Now every year they tell you that you must have champagne to toast the new year, and every year I say nonsense, for a couple of reasons. First, champagne is a wine meant to be consumed anytime, not just for celebrations. The same is true of all sparkling wines. Second, almost all other sparkling wines cost less than champagne, and some are as good or even better. If you have the means to enjoy a nice Dom Ruinart 1996 ($149/btl; $1620/cs) then by all means do imbibe, it’s luscious. For the rest of us, I have a different favorite American sparkling wine, and its source may surprise you.

One hundred seventy miles south of Albuquerque, N.M., (yep, New Mexico) is the oddly named town of Truth or Consequences. Due east of there, just on the other side of Elephant Butte State Park (they like funny names here) is the tiny town of Engle. It is there that Gilbert Gruet, heir to the champagne house Gruet et Fils of Bethon, France, decided would be the perfect place to start an American adventure. Today his children, Laurent and Nathalie, mind the acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay he planted there.

At more than 4,300 feet above sea level, Gruet’s are among the highest vineyards in the U.S., and that altitude gives them cool nights even in the hottest of dessert summers. This protects the grapes and helps them mature more slowly in the sandy, loamy soils near Rock Canyon.

All their sparkling wines are produced following the rigorous Methode Champenoise, or “champagne method,” that involves careful aging of particular grapes and secondary fermentation in the bottle to make the bubbles. The bottles are stored slanted downwards, then “riddled” several times during this process so that the yeasts that have gathered in the neck can be disgorged, leaving the crystalline wine in the bottle to be corked and wired shut.

Gruet today produces about 80,000 bottles per year, most of it in six varieties of sparkling wine. They start with the toasty fruit of their NV Brut, which even though it costs a mere $14/btl; $150/cs, it nonetheless spends a full 24 months in tirage. Look for characteristic green apple and grapefruit notes here. It’s the same price for their Blanc de Noirs (it means “white from Pinot Noir grapes,” though it’s actually light pink), but here you’ll find ripe raspberry notes and more aggressive bubbles.

There’s a demi-sec for those who like their bubbles sweeter, and a straight-ahead Rosé for a festive look in the glass and cherry on the nose.

The Gruet winery’s high-end wine is a tribute to the father, called simply Gilbert Gruet Grande Reserve, it is a tête de cuvee that ages in oak and spends a full six years in tirage. Despite all the care and scrutiny, it still comes in at half what most champagnes cost ($46/btl; $276/6-btl cs). This is what Kim and I will be tipping back this coming Monday night, hoping you too will take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne!

Prices listed are estimated retail. Chef Kurt Michael Friese is co-owner with his wife, Kim, of the Iowa City restaurant Devotay.